Automatic cut-off.



- PATENTED JUNE 4, 1907.

H. PRICE.

AUTOMATIC GUT-OFF. APPLICATION rum) 1120.15, 19os.-

HENRY PRICE, OF ELIZABETH, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 1907.

Application filed December 15, 1906. Serial N 347,916.

To all who? it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY PRIoE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elizabeth, in the county of Jo Daviess and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in AutomaticOut-Offs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for taking rain water from the roofs ofbuildings and conducting it to a cistern or reservoir freed from dustand roof impurities.

Devices for this purpose which have been operated and set by hand havebeen in com- 111011 use. Filters also have been used through which topass the water and remove the impurities therefrom, but such collectedimpi'rities remain in the filter causing it' in time to become a moredangerous source of pollution than if no cleansing device were used.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple, cheap, and durabledevice by which the desired results may be attained.

My device takes the water from the downspout until a considerable flowhas taken place, and turns it into the waste pipe. It then automaticallyshifts the valve to discharge the water into the cistern or otherreceptacle, directing the entire flow during the continuance of a rain,and then automatically shifts the valve again to the waste dischargeposition.

The principles of my invention are illustrated in the drawings, in whichFigure 1 shows a side elevation of my device partly in section; Fig. 2is a sectional view representing the valve arrangement. Fig. 3represents an enlarged plan View of the cover of the weighted orbalancing cylinder.

Referring further to the drawings, 1 represents a down pipe adapted tobe connected to the eaves of the collecting roof. 2 is adiago nallydisposed portion of the down pipe having a screen 3 in the lower part, 4is a chamber adapted to receive the water which may pass through saidscreen, and l is a covered hand hole in the portion 2 by which anyforeign substances may be removed from the screen. A tube 5 is attachedto the lower part of said chamber 4, and passes through the opening 6 inthe cover 7 of a balanced tank or reservoir 9. The pipe 5 thus acts as aguide to the vertical movement of the tank 9. The said tank is furtherprovided with a discharge tube 10, in the bottom thereof, somewhatsmaller in diameter than the tube 5 by which the water enters. Therelation of the sizes of the inlet and outlet pipes 5 and 10 to eachother should be such that the inflow will exceed the outflow to asuificient extent to cause the tank to fill, but not to over flow duringthe time required to permit the foreign matter to be washed from theroof, the pressure of the amount of water retained in the tank beingenough to force any surplus through the lower and small opening.

Attached to the vertical portion of the down-spout so as to dischargetherein, is an elbow 11, into the vertical portion of which thedischarge pipe 10 is slidably inserted, thus forming a guide at thelower end for the vertical movements of the tank. The downspout isbifurcated below the said elbow, one of the arms 12 adapted to beconnected wlth a sewer, while the arm 13 is adapted to beconnected witha cistern or storage tank. Pivoted in the portion of the down-spoutbetween its union with the discharge pipes and the dividing line betweenthem, is a damper or valve 14 whose shaft may be attached to a weightedlever 15 substantially at right angles thereto; The normal position ofthese parts when adapted to receive and discharge the polluted waterinto the waste pipe is shown by full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. Aconnecting rod 16 is pivoted at one end of the lever 15 and at its otherend is attached to the balancing cylinder or reservoir. A hook 17 may beattached to the down-spout and adapted to engage the loops 18 or 19 onthe said reservoir when it may be desired to lock the same in either itsupper or lower position. Ordinarily, however, this hook will be leftdisconnected. A convenient form of reservoir cover may be provided asshown in Fig. 3, in which the cover shown is pivoted at 7 to the body ofthe tank while a lug 7 pro jecting from the opposite side of the coveris adapted to be engaged by a spring clip 8 secured to the top of thereservoir 9 the latter having a free end 8".

It will appear that when the several parts of my apparatus are in theirnormally disposed positions, there will be a direct passage from theroof through the down-spout to the bifurcated portion, at which pointthe flow will be directed into the waste arm 12. As the water begins toflow it passes over the screen 3, at which point any-gross impuritieswill be diverted and washed over the screen directly into the waste pipe12, while the principal portion of the water will drain IOC ICS

through the screen into the chamber 41, from which it passes into thebalanced bucket or tank 9 through the tube 5. The flow is con tinuedthrough the tank and out at the tube 10, from which, through the elbowl1, itis discharged into the lower part of the downspout 1 and thenceinto the waste arm 13 leading therefrom. But as the outlet pipe 10 is ofless capacity than the inlet pipe 5 the reservoir 9 will gradually fillwith water, thus overcoming the weighted lever 15, and causing the same,together with the valve 14 and attachments, to assume the positionsshown in the dotted lines with the valve 14 set to direct the flow intothe branch 13. The flow of water through the reservoir will continuewhile the apparatus is in this position, and the surplus will flowthrough the lower part of the down-spout, but both cur-' rents will bedischarged above the valve, and saved, by being turned into the cistern.

It will be noted that there is a constant flow through the balancedbucket, but that prior to the operation of the valve, all the washingsof the roof are turned into the wastage, while as soon as the flowhascontinued sufliciently long to cleanse the water shed the entire flowfrom the roof is directed into the cistern.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. In adevice of the class described, a down-spout having an inclined offsetand branched at the lower end, a screen in said offset, a valveoperating to alternately divert the water into said branches, a weightedlever connected to said valve to hold the same normally in one position,a receiver connected to said down-spout in position to receive the flowthrough said screen, a relatively large discharge pipe leading from saidreceiver, an elbow pipe connected into said down-spout above said valveand with one branch vertical, a tank slidably engaging the dischargepipe of said receptacle, a relatively small discharge pipe leading fromsaid tank and slidably engaging the vertical branch of said elbow pipe,and a connecting rod between said tank and weighted lever.

2. In combination with a down spout having an inclined off-set, andbranched at its lower end, a screen located in the off-set, a tankdisposed to receive water from said screen, a valve arranged to normallydirect the flow of water through the down pipe into one of saidbranches, a yieldingly mounted tank, an outlet tube carried by the firstmentioned tank and extending into said yieldingly mounted tank, adischarge pipe carried by the lower end of said yieldingly mounted tank,an elbow with which said discharge tube slidably engages, and meansconne cting the yieldingly mounted tank with said valve whereby when thesaid yieldingly mounted tank is depressed it will overcome the normalinclination of the valve.

3. In combination with a down pipe havmg an inclined oil-set, andbranched at its lower end. to form a waste discharge and cisterndischarge, of a valve carried by the down pipe, means connected to saidvalve for normally positioning the same to direct the water from thedown pipe into the waste discharge, a screen located in said inclinedoffset of the down pipe, a tank positioned to receive water from saidscreen, an outlet tube carried thereby, an elbow pipe connected to andcommunicating with the down pipe near the valve in the latter, a tankslidable on said outlet tube of the first mentioned tank, a dischargepipe extending from said tank, the said discharge pipe being of lessdiameter than the outlet tube from the first mentioned tank, and meansconnecting said tank with said valve whereby when the tank is depressedthe position of the valve is changed to permit the flow of water intothe cistern.

4. In combination with -a down spout branched at its lower end to form awaste discharge and a cistern discharge, and having intermediate itsends an inclined off-set, a screen arranged in said ofl -set, a tankdisposed to receive water from said screen, an outlet tube for saidtank, a yieldingly mounted tank slidable on said outlet tube, adischarge tube carried by the lower end of said yielding mounted tankand being of less diameter than the outlet tube of said first mentionedtank, an elbow connected to the down pipe adjacent the branch endthereof and receiving said discharge tube of the yielding mounted tankin slidable engagement, a valve disposed in the down pipe to normallydirect the flow of water from said down pipe to the waste dischargebranch, a weighted lever normally holding said valve so disposed, and arod pivotally connected to said lever at one end and at its other endconnected to the yieldingly mounted tank whereby when the latter isdepressed the weighted arm will be actuated and the position of thevalve altered to direct the flow of water from the down pipe into thecistern discharge branch.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 11th day ofDecember, A. D. 1906, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY PRICE.

Witnesses HENRY WVILEY, DAVID HAie.

